|
Motor
AMW partners HNB Leasing
New interest rates for Suzuki Maruti:
Associated Motorways (AMW) has partnered with HNB Leasing to offer
the easiest and affordable way to own a Suzuki Maruti.
Any customer now has the opportunity to capitalize on the new
interest rates by HNB Leasing, by visiting any of the AMW showrooms or
the 180 branches of HNB Bank Island wide.
The special seasonal offer is open to all customers of Hatton
National Bank (HNB) and to any person interested in purchasing a Suzuki
Maruti, who can make use of the facilities offered.
The special offer available at the lowest rental rates includes a
free HNB Credit Card and a free Life Insurance cover worth Rupees 1.2
million.
Customers are also gifted with additional valuable vehicle
accessories ranging from body styling moulds to six CD changers from AMW
to all HNB customers, during the seasonal promotion period.
HNB Leasing services are available through the entire branch network
of HNB including the East coast and the five branches in Jaffna) for
those who wish to capitalize on this Suzuki Maruti promotion which has
the new interest rates on offer.
The ever increasing demand for these vehicles is indicated by its
popularity of over.28, 000 units on the road. Purchasing a brand new
vehicle has become easy now with AMW showrooms island wide and with the
introduction of the Trade - In and up grade option.
"We at AMW are committed to give you a vehicle from our Suzuki Maruti
range with minimum effect to your wallet.
Not only do we ensure value for every rupee invested, the Suzuki
Maruti guarantees high fuel efficiency, very low operating and
maintenance costs and very high re-sale value", said Asst. Manager
Business Development and Promotions for AMW, Suzuki Maruti Ashantha
Atukorale.
Britain unveils Japanese-built high-speed trains
Britain trumpeted Monday the launch of its first full high-speed
domestic rail service, while unveiling plans for a network of the trains
across the country in years to come.
Prime Minister Gordon Brown was on hand at Saint Pancras station in
London for the first services by the Japanese-built Javelin trains,
slashing journey times between the capital and the county of Kent to the
southeast.
"This is a great day for Saint Pancras and for... rail services in
this area and for the UK. This is also a momentous day in the long and
glorious history of British railways," he said.
The Hitachi class 395 trains will reach speeds of up to 140 miles
(220 kilometres) per hour, using sections of the London-to-Folkestone
high-speed rail link built for Eurostar trains through the Channel
Tunnel.
The new 508-passenger trains, introduced by the Southeastern rail
company, will cut the journey time from coastal Dover to London by 47
minutes to 69 minutes, while Ashford to London comes down from well over
an hour to 37 minutes.
By the time of the 2012 London Olympics, they will be able to
transport spectators from Saint Pancras to the main Games site in
Stratford, east London, in just seven minutes.
Britain, which has lagged behind its European neighbours in
introducing high-speed rail travel, plans to invest 20 billion pounds
(32 million dollars, 22 million euros) in railway infrastructure in the
next few years.
The government has set up a company to investigate the feasibility of
a north-south high-speed rail line, which could link London with other
chief cities like Birmingham, Manchester and Glasgow. Its findings are
expected by the end of this month.
Brown acknowledged that the global economic downturn made it tougher
to find funding for such projects.
"I know some people who think this is not the time to be investing in
infrastructure, but I believe it is essential to do so," he said. AFP
ASEAN transport ministers seek lower transport emissions
Southeast Asia and Japan have endorsed plans to reduce transport
pollution, especially on the region's congested roads, according to
documents released after a two-day meeting in Vietnam.
Transport ministers from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations
(ASEAN) "agreed to implement measures to mitigate climate change
especially in the land transport sector and promotion of energy
efficiency and sustainable urban transport in ASEAN cities," they said
in a joint statement.
Ministers ended the annual talks in Hanoi on Friday.
Southeast Asian cities are notoriously congested with motor vehicles.
Jakarta and Ho Chi Minh City are among the region's major metropolises
that lack urban rapid transit networks.
In a separate statement after talks with a senior Japanese transport
official, the ministers said they had also endorsed an action plan for
environmental improvement in the transport sector, to be implemented
from 2010 to 2014.
It will provide a framework for the 10 members of ASEAN and Japan to
systematically "realise low-carbon and low-pollution transport systems
for achieving sustainable social and economic development."
Senior officials are to finalise ways of implementing the plan, the
statement said.
Vietnam assumes the rotating chairmanship of ASEAN at the beginning
of next year. AFP
Toyota aims to roll out plug-in Prius in two years
 |
|
Tokyo, JAPAN: Toyota Motors Executive
Vice President Takeshi Uchiyamada demonstrates the
electronic plug into the company’s new Prius Plug-in Hybrid
vehicle during its press preview at the company’s showcase,
Mega Webb in Tokyo, on December 14, 2009. Toyota announced
the introduction of the third-generation Prius Plug-in
Hybrid into key markets, such as Japan, US and Europe for
use by governments and businesses. AFP |
Toyota Motor said Monday that it plans to begin commercial sales of
its first plug-in hybrid vehicle in about two years, aiming to meet
growing demand for fuel-efficient cars.
The Japanese giant, the world's largest automaker, hopes to sell
several tens of thousands of the plug-in Prius car, which it says will
have an affordable price tag. In part to gauge demand for the cars,
Toyota said it would start leasing some 600 plug-in hybrids in the first
half of 2010 to government agencies and businesses - 230 in Japan, 200
in Europe and 150 in the United States.
The French city of Strasbourg is leasing about 100 of the plug-in
Prius vehicles, powered by a combination of petrol and lithium-ion
batteries that can be charged from a conventional electrical outlet. The
plug-in hybrid runs 23.4 kilometres (14.5 miles) in the electric mode
alone on one charge and has an average fuel efficiency of 57 kilometres
per litre, based on Japanese road conditions.
The efficiency is an improvement on the conventional Prius which
boasts an average fuel efficiency of 30.6 kilometres per litre.
Combining the plug-in system with a conventional hybrid technology
allowed the company to keep down the production cost compared with a
full electric car, said Toyota vice president Takeshi Uchiyamada. AFP |
